Indiana Jones Vol.1 #1

Oct 1984. Cover price 50p
52 pages. B&W and color.
Marvel Comics, Ltd.

Edited by Sheila Cranna.

Cover by Terry Austin.
r: The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones (Marvel) #01 (Jan 1983).

Free peel-off Indy sticker.

Contents:

 2 Harrison Ford - Alias Indiana Jones (half page) book advertisement.

 2 Doctor Who - The Magazine of Time and Space (half page) in-house advertisement.

 3 Introduction text by Sheila Cranna? (uncredited) / Contents / Indicia / Subscriptions

 4 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom pin-up. a: (uncredited).

 5 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, part one, w: David Michelinie, based on the screenplay by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, from a story by George Lucas; p: Jackson Guice, i: Ian Akin & Brian Garvey, lettering by John Morelli, colouring by Andy Yanchus.

r: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Marvel) #01 (Sep 1984).

13 Classified Ads

21 Magnificence in the Making text feature (uncredited).

28 Robo Machines advertisement for action figures.

29 The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones w: John Byrne; p: John Byrne, i: Terry Austin, lettering by Joe Rosen, colouring by Bob Sharen.

r: The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones (Marvel) #01 (Jan 1983).

51 Official Star Wars Fan Club advertisement.

52 Initial Time Pieces wristwatch advertisement.

While any attempt to bring a film character's continuing adventures to a British comic-book audience is to be applauded, this publication doesn't seem to have the same attention to detail which marked out Transformers and The Real Ghostbusters. The paper quality is poor, especially when compared to some weeklies, and a lack of colour for large portions of this issue doesn't help sell its appeal.

This should have been an easy title to launch, with the release of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in June fresh in the minds of readers, but postponing release until winter was an odd decision. The cover, which ought to push the title's appeal by itself, doesn't feel like an image which belongs to the franchise, with an awful blue background.

Things improve, though not vastly, with a nice introduction highlighted by an awkwardly-slanted image taken from the film. The adaptation of which, actually part thereof, beginning on the next page, is a smart way to kick off the series, but by presenting it in both black and white and colour makes the title appear cheaper than running it in B&W throughout. Additionally, there is a feature located partway though the reprint.

Magnificence in the Making is an informative, intelligent, albeit somewhat brief, single-page overview of the production details, offering up dates, locations and statistics without digging deeply into any of the areas covered. A few photographs take up the larger portion of the page, which gives the impression that the film is a footnote in the character's history rather than the reason the comic exists at all.

Text features have the power, when properly prepared, to ground a title in the larger world of a franchise. With a character who possesses such an obvious lineage, through the culture of pulp storytelling, film serial conventions, and numerous comic book references, to have so few words laid forth to show an understanding of his heritage, is rather shocking. A single page, no matter how talented the author is, cannot hope to divulge enough background to warrant further reading.

This isn't a comic which demands time or energy.

Whatever limitations there are in the The Further Adventures stories are typical of Marvel's poor grasp of what made the films so popular. Despite clean, interesting artwork from John Byrne and Terry Austin, the story never rises to the level of adventuring which the films presented. It is all too often difficult to recognise anything of Harrison Ford in the images of Indiana Jones, and starting the story in a classroom in madness.

I wanted so badly to love this comic, but it does everything it can to dissuade even a self-confessed fan of the films.

Despite tying into the film series, there is precious little of the Indiana Jones films present here. There are no pin-up photographs of Ford, nor the hint of forthcoming interviews, which surely everyone picking up a title based on the property would have cried out for. As disheartening as it is to admit, this fails to engage.